Forlini's bar
by Meg0613
Summary: A story based on a Tweet Julie Martin (SVU EP) sent the other day about how Benson and Barba at Forlini's Bar would never go out of style. It starts during the season 14 episode Criminal Hatred and goes from there.


Forlini's Bar

A/N Julie Martin Executive Producer of SVU had a tweet the other day about how Barba and Benson at Forlini's bar would never go out of style. It got me thinking maybe we need to know about some of their time there. This starts in season 14 with Criminal Hatred.

Frank looked up from his spot behind the bar. He had just finished filling Assistant District Attorney's Rafael Barba's scotch glass, a woman he didn't recognize coming through the door caught his attention. She carried herself with purpose and confidence as she made her way through the restaurant to the bar. Her confidence only added to her attractiveness. He wondered if she was meeting someone and smiled to himself when he saw her approach Barba.

"Hello" She said coming up behind him, there was an unmistakable flirt to her voice as she leaned in to the counter next to him.

He could not hear the rest of their conversation but he the look on Barba's face made said he was pleasantly surprised to see her. Frank watched as Barba patted the stool next to him and motioned for the woman to order a drink. When he went to hand her the glass of cabernet she ordered he caught the glimpse of the badge clipped to her waist. She was a cop, no way was this just a work thing. If there was one thing a bartender could always tell was chemistry and these two were dripping with it.

That was the first time Frank saw the two of them together but it certainly was not the last. Over the next few months he saw them on a regular basis. He learned she was Detective Olivia Benson with the Manhattan Special Victims Unit, sometimes they were by themselves other times they were with members of her squad. He wondered if the rest of her squad felt what was going on between them. He would watch as everyone else fell silent when the two of them would argue over something.

Early in the spring they came in on a Friday evening by themselves laughing and relaxed. He helped her off with her coat and Frank could tell she was teasing him about something.

"Hey, guys how's it going tonight? Cabernet Detective?" He asked as he wiped the counter and set a couple of napkins.

She made a humming sound and smiled after looking at Barba for a second, Frank had seen enough to know Barba was in trouble somehow. "Oh well let's see, the Counselor here owes me, and I get to pick the drinks. So what do you think we should have Frank?"

"Well, it's Friday and you can never go wrong with Patron." Frank suggested with smile excited to see where this might end.

"Perfect suggestion, two please Frank." She said while flashing a smile at Barba.

"Really, Liv are we in college?" Barba asked he dryly, Frank had noticed he only called her Liv when they were alone.

"You owe me big time and you know it, I saved your ass on that case." She countered.

"Fine" He said rolling his eyes but clearly enjoying himself.

"Here you go, you two, let me know when you are ready for round two." Frank told them setting the shot glasses and lime before them. He watched as they clinked their glasses together before downing their shots. Their conversation that night was animated and Frank wondered if maybe tonight would be the night. He had no idea what was taking them so long, the chemistry between them was electric. They finished a second round of shots and headed to the back where the darts were, this was new he'd never seen them do this before.

From his spot he watched and laughed to himself at how they played darts. In some couples one would obliviously throw the game for the others, and with other couples one would let the other "teach them" how to play even though they obviously already knew. Not with these two, they approached it like everything else a competition that only one of them could win. She won the first round quickly and Frank watched her smile a sweet teasing smile at him. Barba took off his tie and threw it over a chair and whispered something in her ear before starting the second game. When they were tied at a game apiece they ordered a third round.

"You ready?" He asked her with his classic arrogant smile.

"Ready to see you lose again." She said grabbing his hand a pulling him back toward the dart board.

Just as he went to take his first shot she came up behind him and whispered something in his ear and the dart went flying wildly into the wall.

"You cheat!" He said as he turned back to see her feigning an innocent smile. "Oh don't try that with me."

She slowly walked past him and smiled, "My turn" she said taking a dart from his hand. Frank watched as Barba moved up behind not touching her but with little space between them.

"Are you trying to intimidate me counselor?" She asked over her shoulder their lips only a breath apart.

"Never" Barba responded then after she turned back he added, "I mean you do carry a gun." Causing her to laugh and toss her dart worse than his.

"Damn you!" She said whirling around finding his green eyes meeting hers. A silence fell between them as her eyes darted between his eyes and his lips and he took her hand in his.

"Your move" He whispered

She stepped closer to him not letting go of his hand, "Your move" she responded and felt his other hand rest on her hip pulling her even closer. She felt her eyes close involuntarily as she leaned into him only to snap them wide open when she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Liv" a man Frank had never seen before called from across the restaurant unable to see what had almost taken place. Frank watched as they jumped apart and Liv accepted the other man's embrace and hesitantly returned his kiss. He somewhat possessively wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they bid Barba good night and left together. Frank noticed as Olivia turned back and glanced at Barba as they left.

Barba made his way back to the bar. Without asking Frank replaced the tequila with scotch. "She has a boyfriend?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah, deep undercover cop" Barba answered.

"Well that sucks," Frank told him.

"Tell me about it." Barba muttered as he finished his scotch trying not to think about how close he had gotten.

BarsonBarsonBarsonBarson

It was just a few weeks later when Barba came in looking worse than Frank had ever seen him. His tie was lose and it looked like he hadn't shaved in days.

"You all right man? I haven't seen you in a while." Frank commented

Barba shook his head and took a sip of the scotch Frank had poured him, "Liv is missing Frank and it's all my fault."

Barba explained to him about William Lewis and how he had been unable to get a conviction and Lewis had been waiting for her in her apartment.

"If I had made a better case he would be in jail and she would be all right. Now there is nothing I can do about it. This man is a psychopath and there is no telling what he is doing to her or if she is even still alive. I will never forgive myself for letting this happen to her." Barba said his eyes clouding with tears.

BarsonBarsonBarson

It was probably a month later when Oliva joined Barba at the bar again. There was no missing the circles under her eyes or the fact that she turned to the door every time that someone came in. There was also no missing the way Barba kept himself close to her at all times. He would order food for himself and talk her into eating it when she wouldn't eat anything else. Sometimes the boyfriend would join them during these months and Frank could see that he couldn't handle the toll this was having on Olivia. He was always getting just a little too loud and drinking a little too much. He was constantly pushing her to go out and "have fun" with him again, more than once he heard Oliva tell him to go on without her, and he always did. On those nights Olivia and Barba would sit in a small booth in the back talking quietly. Frank could never hear their conversation but he could often see the tears in her eyes and how Barba would put his hand over hers. After a while Barba would pay their bill and walk her home.

After a few months Frank stopped seeing the boyfriend at all. Slowly Olivia became less jumpy and would relax a little bit more. He learned she had been promoted to Sergeant, Barba became a little less protective and they seemed to be easing back into their relationship. Then one day Oliva completely surprised him. 

"Hey Frank, want to see what I got last week?" She asked him with the biggest smile he had seen on her in a year.

"Of course Sergeant." He told her and was completely shocked when she held her phone to show him a picture of a baby boy.

She left shortly after that and Frank looked at Barba, "A baby huh?"

Barba smiled, "I've never seen her as happy as she is right now, the thing she has always wanted most is to be a mother."

Frank just shook his head and smiled as he wiped down the counter wondering how long it would take this time around for Barba to get his act together.

BarsonBarsonBarsonBarson

When Barba's grandmother died Olivia found him sitting at their table in the back by himself.

"Why didn't you call me? I had to find out from Carmen and now you are sitting her drinking by yourself." She all but yelled at him.

"I just need to be alone Liv." He said already a little drunk.

"Bullshit, Rafael." She said sitting down across from him and taking his hand the way he had held hers so many times.

They sat there for hours as Barba told her stories about his Abuela after a while Olivia scooted onto the side of the table next to him and wrapped her arm around him as he cried on her shoulder. It was Oliva who paid the bill that night and he heard her say that he was staying with her and Noah that night. When he began to protest he heard her say something about "Save it for when we are eighty five Barba."

Frank began to think Barba was never going to get his act together. The two of them had been coming in for over three years now. He watched them work together, fight with each other, flirt with each other and comfort each other. Through everything the two of them were a team until one spring day when Barba came in angrier than he had ever seen him.

"Olivia joining you tonight?" Frank asked hoping Oliva would be able to get him out of this mood.

"Not a chance." Barba said in a voice that made it clear she was the cause of his anger.

Frank poured him a double, "Want to talk about it?"

"You ever had you best friend keep a secret from you for months and then when you figure it out you all but throw her out of your life? IF not then I don't think we have too much to talk about." He said snidely.

"She's seeing someone isn't she?" Frank guessed.

"She's sleeping with Ed Tucker." Barba spat out.

"The asshole from IAB I've heard you guys talk about?"

"Yep, the one and only. I only found out because of the case. Now I look like an idiot professionally."

"What about personally?" Frank asked.

"Personally it is what it is, if she wants to continue with men like Brain Cassidy and Ed Tucker then there is nothing that I can do about that." Barba said sliding his glass for Frank to refill it.

"You could have given her an alternative Barba." Frank told him matter of factly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Barba asked

"For Christ's sake, I've watched the two of you do this dance for three years now. What the hell is stopping you from telling that woman you love her?"

"Well right now it's the fact that I'm potentially prosecuting her boyfriend. "

"That's just an excuse yesterday you didn't know that and you still weren't telling her." Frank argued.

"Shut up Frank." Was all Barba said before throwing his money on the counter and walking out of the bar.

BarsonBarsonBarsonBarson

"You want to tell me what the hell this means?" Frank heard Oliva yell as she walked through the restaurant to the bar. He hadn't seen her in months, he had heard her boyfriend was cleared and he heard about her officer that was shot. He had hear it from Barba, who now came by himself.

"Good to see you to Liv." Barba said looking at the paper she was waving around.

"You are requesting to be reassigned?" She continued to yell, Frank knew Barba was thinking about it but was surprised he hadn't told her himself. "And I have to find out through paperwork?"

"I think it's time." Was all the Barba said.

"Why, I thought things were better between us?" She asked him a mixture of hurt and confusion in her face.

Barba stood up from his stool and looked at her a soft honest expression taking over his face. "Things are better between us Liv and that's why I need to go."

"Barba that makes no sense." She said her frustration growing.

"Because being with you all the time is to hard Liv. I can't work with you and pretend like I don't want our old friendship back, like I don't want more than our old friendship, but I know that's not what you want Liv. You have Tucker and you are in love with him and I want you to be happy but I just can't be so close to it" Barba said his voice barely above a whisper shocked at his own honesty.

"I'm not in love with Tucker, I ended it after the investigation, but maybe you are right maybe it's time for some distance." She said before throwing the paper work down on the bar and walking out.

"Barba, so help me if you don't go after her," Frank started to say but Barba was already chasing her out of the restaurant.

He watched as Barba called out to her and she stopped and turned to him standing with her hands on her hips. Barba walked slowly to her and stood in front of her. He couldn't hear what he said but over the years he had gotten pretty good at reading lips.

"I'm sorry, I should have told you." Barba said

"I'm sorry for everything." He could see Olivia saying. "I never meant to hurt you with Tucker, I still don't know how it happened. "

"Why did you end it?" Barba asked.

"Because being with him meant I couldn't be with you, even as my best friend and I missed that too much." Olivia told him tears falling down her cheeks.

Barba stepped forward and wiped them off, "I love you Oliva, I have for a long time, I want to be more than you best friend. I should have told you sooner."

"I don't want to mess this up again Rafael" She said

"No, mi amour we are getting it right for this first time." Barba said before kissing her.

BarsonBarsonBarsonBarson

Barba was sitting nervously at the bar as he kept watching the door for Olivia. Frank laughed at him.

"Relax, she's coming you know she wanted to put Noah to bed first." He told him.

Just then Oliva walked through the door in changed from her work clothes into boots, jeans, and a top that fell just right on her body. Barba smiled when he saw her, he loved her dressed like that. She walked to him quickly and kissed him loosening his tie he was still wearing.

"I'm sorry, Noah took a little while." She said.

"I'm sorry I missed bedtime, did you tell him I would be home all day tomorrow and we would go to the park?" Barba asked.

"Yes, he was excited. Did you order yet?" She asked waving to Frank.

"Yes," he said handing her a glass of wine. "You want to play darts while we wait for our food?"

Olivia smiled, "You feeling confident tonight counselor?" she asked with a tease.

"Let's say hopeful." He said kissing her and taking her by the hand to the dart board. "Go grab the darts." He watched as she walked over to them and turn back slowly to him."

"Rafael, what is that?" She asked him pointing to the dart hanging from the bullseye with a platinum set diamond hanging around it.

Barba took her hand again and walked to the board pulling it off and then got down on one knee, "Oliva Benson, I want you to be my best friend and my lover for the rest of my life I want to squabble with you when I am eighty five. I want to be Noah's Papi and raise him with you. Will you marry me? "

Oliva pulled him up by his hand and kissed him, "Yes, Rafael I will marry you."

Frank smiled from his spot from behind the bar it had been four years since she had first walked in and the two of them had been through a lifetime in those four years but somehow they had held on to each other through it all.

The End


End file.
